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The other day I had two things: a lot of good fresh vegetables and a little extra time. So why not roast up those vegetables! I started peeling, chopping and layering. This was going to be a big honking batch of veggies! Mushrooms, bell peppers, squash, onions…Yum!

A big batch it was. My largest kitchen bowl was full of colorful vegetables. What next? I dusted the vegetables with salt and pepper. I sprinkled basil and parsley on the vegetables as well.

Olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar completed the prep work. After a good healthy stir, I poured them onto a lined baking dish and placed them in a preheated 400 degree oven. Almost immediately, warm succulent aromas began to fill the air. My mouth began to water with those decadent scents wafting from the oven.

I checked the vegetables after 15 minutes in the oven and couldn’t resist sneaking a taste. What a delicious bite! Back into the oven for a few minutes, and then they were ready. The roasted veggies were delicious that night for dinner with lovely grilled salmon.

Did I mention that it was a big ol’ batch of roasted veggies? And that I love leftovers? Did we ever have leftovers! And like spaghetti, the vegetables were better the next day. How did they get used up?

Leftovers day one: Roasted veggies made an amazing addition to an omelet the next morning.

Leftovers day two: I cooked quinoa to mix into the vegetables. That created a protein and nutrient dense powerhouse that were perfect after a workout.

Leftovers day three: Roasted veggies piled on a turkey sandwich. Who needs mayo?

And that is what you do with leftovers my friends. When you have a bit of extra time, cook big. Then enjoy good food and time savings later! Let me know what you do with your leftovers!

Time. There are 24 hours in every day, but sometimes it feels like less. So when I cook, I have to make it count for more than one meal. Cooking big is a time saver. If I have a little wiggle room during the weekend to cook, I try to fill the fridge for the upcoming week. But even quick week night meals can provide leftovers for another meal.

Okay, it’s no secret that I love leftovers. You can enjoy them for a second meal as is, but they can also be used as inspiration for a new dish. I use my leftovers both ways. If I cook a couple of extra pieces of chicken, that goes to work with me for a quick lunch at the office. Using that chicken as inspiration for another meal might mean a nice chicken casserole or chicken salad sandwich. Need some ideas? Let me outline my leftovers from the past few days.

Night #1. Leftover: Quinoa. Used the next morning as an addition to breakfast oatmeal to power it up. Quinoa is a plant based protein loaded with beneficial amino acids. It was a satisfying protein and grain breakfast following an early morning workout at the gym.

Leftover quinoa added plant protein to morning oatmeal.

Night #2. Leftover: Goat cheese. It was leftover from a beet salad. The next day goat cheese was a wonderful addition to a “gourmet” sandwich, adding delicious creamy flavor to a weekday brown bag lunch.

Leftover goat cheese not used for this salad added flavor to a sandwich.

Night #3. Leftover: Home made vinaigrette. I used this to drizzle over veggies going into the oven to roast. Homemade vinaigrette is super flexible and great to have around. It is a delicious way to add a wonderful layer of flavor to most anything.

Leftover vinaigrette. This isn’t just salad dressing. It has a zillion uses.

Night #4. Leftover: Roasted veggies. These leftover roasted veggies made the most amazing salad. I also threw in some of that leftover quinoa so it was a complete meal.

Roasted veggies made an awesome salad! The added quinoa was the perfect protein for this dish.

Night #5. Leftover: Pesto, with a bonus of shredded chicken. (Nonleftover: frozen cauliflower). This made a quick pasta dinner. Dinner was ready in the time it took for a pot of water to boil and pasta to cook. The cauliflower cooked up quick in the microwave. It was tossed together with the chicken and pesto for a quick and easy one dish dinner for a busy night.

By now I am sure you get the picture. Be creative. When cooking, cook a larger portion than you need. Toss leftovers in both the fridge and the freezer. And start embracing the ease of the next meal using leftovers. Let me know what ends up on your dinner table!

The other day I had two things: a lot of good fresh fall vegetables and a little extra time. So I went to my happy place…the kitchen. I decided to roast the vegetables. I started peeling, chopping and layering. This was going to be a big honking batch of veggies! Mushrooms, bell peppers, butternut squash, onions, celery…Yum!

A big batch it was. After they were chopped, I dusted the vegetables with salt, pepper, basil, and parsley then sprinkled olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar on them as well. After a good healthy stir, I poured them onto a lined baking dish and placed them in a preheated 400 degree oven. Almost immediately, warm succulent aromas began to fill the house. My mouth began to water with those decadent scents wafting though the air.

I checked the vegetables after 15 minutes in the oven and couldn’t resist sneaking a taste. Ooh! What a delicious bite! Back into the oven for a few minutes, and then they were ready. We enjoyed the roasted veggies with lovely grilled salmon.

Did I mention that it was a big ol’ batch of fall veggies? And that I love leftovers? Did we ever have leftovers! But that’s okay. They were fantastic to have around. And like spaghetti, the vegetables were more flavorful as leftovers.

Leftovers day one: Roasted veggies made an amazing addition to an omelet the next morning.

Leftovers day two: I cooked quinoa to mix into the vegetables. That created a powerhouse side dish of veggies and quinoa.

Leftovers day three: Roasted veggies piled on a turkey sandwich. Who needs mayo??

And that is what you do with leftovers my friends. I used a little extra time to cook big, and had nutritious leftovers to launch other dishes.

I am a single mother that is short on time. When I cook, I have to make it count for more than one meal. Time is my most precious commodity at the moment, so cooking bigger sure helps in a time crunch. If I have a little wiggle room during the weekend to cook, I try to fill the fridge for the upcoming week.

Okay, it’s no secret that I love leftovers. They can be easy to eat as is for a second meal, or used as inspiration for a new dish. I use my leftovers both ways. If I cook a couple of extra pieces of chicken, that goes either in school lunches or to work with me for a second meal. Using that chicken as inspiration for another meal might mean a nice chicken casserole or chicken salad sandwich. Need some ideas? Let me outline my leftovers from the past few days.

Night #1. Leftover: Quinoa. Used the next morning as an addition to breakfast oatmeal. Quinoa powered up morning oatmeal following an 8 mile bike ride. It was a solid “recovery” breakfast.

Leftover quinoa added a nice nutritionally punch to morning oatmeal.

Night #2. Leftover: Goat cheese. It was leftover from a beet salad. My high schooler used it to spread on his “gourmet” sandwich, adding delicious creamy flavor to a weekday lunch.

Leftover goat cheese not used for this salad added flavor to a sandwich.

Night #3. Leftover: Home made vinaigrette. I used this drizzled over roasted veggies going into the oven. Homemade vinaigrette is super easy to customize ingredients and flavors to make even picky eaters happy.

Leftover vinaigrette. This isn’t just salad dressing. It has a zillion uses.

Night #4. Leftover: Roasted veggies. These leftover roasted veggies made the most amazing sandwich to take to work. I wish I also had some of that leftover goat cheese too, but it was quite tasty as is.

Roasted veggies made an awesome sandwich, panini style!

Night #5. Leftover: Pesto, shredded chicken. (Nonleftover freezer item: frozen cauliflower). I actually pulled this from the freezer to make a quick pasta dinner. Dinner was ready in the time it took for a pot of water to boil and pasta to cook. The cauliflower was microwaved. Everything was tossed together for a quick and easy one dish dinner for a busy night.

By now I am sure you get the picture. Be creative. When cooking, cook a larger portion than you need. Toss leftovers in both the fridge and the freezer. And start embracing the ease of the next meal using leftovers. Let me know what you make with your leftovers!

What’s for dinner on a Friday night when everyone is a bit low on energy from the long week? Something easy for sure! Here is what I did on a Friday when the family was just worn out. It is important to eat healthy in our family. Sure we cheat every now and again, but for the most part we all make an effort to eat food that is natural and wholesome. So how to solve this Friday night conundrum? We did it in a snap.

I roasted some vegetables, Denis put a pot of water on to boil, and then pulled out a loaf of crusty bread. There were salad fixings in the fridge, but the veggies with the pasta seemed sufficient, so that was left for another meal. Dinner in a snap was the goal du jour. It was so easy to get ready, and dinner was on the table quickly. Let me share it with you.

I call this recipe Amy’s This and That Pasta. It’s a little of this, a little of that. Whatever you have on hand will do. Here is what I did. I pulled out a glass oblong pan. Into it went:

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 packages of fresh assorted mushrooms (I have also used canned mushrooms. Drained, these work just fine.)

1 large jar pimento drained (or a jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped, will do just fine too)

A few handfuls of fresh spinach

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes in sauce

I mixed these veggies together with a rubber spatula. I drizzled olive oil over the top and sprinkled on:

1 T. dried basil

1 T. dried parsley

1 t. dried oregano

salt, pepper and dried red pepper flakes to taste.

Again I mixed this up and placed it in an oven that was preheated to 400 degrees. The timer was set to 30 minutes. On went a pot of water for the pasta. Then I changed out of my work clothes, and sat down for a few minutes to chat with the family.

When the vegetables were nearly done, frozen tortellini went into the boiling water for about 4 minutes. The children set the table for dinner. The sliced loaf of crusty bread was taken to the table. After draining the pasta and putting it in a large shallow bowl, I poured the hot roasted vegetables over it. Lastly, I grated some fresh parmesan cheese over it and on to the table it went.

It was a simple meal, and so easy to toss together. The vegetables imparted what I call “vegetable liquor”, meaning they juiced up a bit while roasting. The roasted pasta sauce was a snap to make with the oven doing all of the work. It was a nutritious dinner for a Friday night. Most vegetables work in this recipe except starchy ones (like potatoes), so use this recipe as a base and substitute with what you have in your kitchen.

Toss your favorite veggies together, let them roast in the oven, have a seat and wait for dinner to practically make itself. Easy, quick, nutritious. Perfect for a family meal. Weeknight meals do not have to be grand, time consuming, or fussy. Remember the true focus of family meals. Connecting. Conversation. Togetherness. Meals can be easy, yummy and nutritious, but more important, a happy social time to reconnect. Bon appetite!

It is fall and time to cook up some squash! And I am not talking about the little summer squash. I am talking about the big honking fall squash, like acorn squash and my all time fav…spaghetti squash!

Squash is budget friendly, especially this time of year, so it is time to make the most of our food dollars! Spaghetti squash is pretty big, and there are lots of ways to cook it. I just plop it into a big soup pot, cover it with water, get it to boiling, toss the lid on, and then figure out what I am going to do with it while it simmers.

Spaghetti squash has a pretty neutral flavor profile, making it perfect to use in a million different ways. It is packed with nutrition. low in fat, (if you allow it to stay that way) and wonderfully versatile! Tonight I am making spaghetti squash bake with roasted vegetables. You need a little time to do this because cooking a big squash cannot be rushed. So pour a glass of Pinot Noir, and lets figure this out.

As I mentioned, I just boil my squash. While that squash is simmering, I cut up 2 green zucchini. I had a package of precut mushrooms and some grape tomatoes too. I placed the veggies on a parchment covered baking sheet, then added the mushrooms and tomatoes. I doused this with a little olive oil, some vinegar, (true confessions…I love acidic food!), and dusted it with salt, pepper and herb de Provence. The veggies cooked in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.

When the veggies were done, so was the squash. It was out of the water, on the counter, and cut in half cooling. I spooned out the seeds, much like cleaning out a pumpkin. Only the flesh remained. I raked it into strands and put that into a baking dish. A little tomato sauce went on top. Then the roasted veggies. And here is when I got a bit naughty (sorry mom!). I sprinkled it with cheese. Back into a 350 degree oven it went.

It baked for about 25 minutes, with lightly seasoned chicken breasts in the oven too. The squash and chicken were ready at the same time. Dinner was delicious! Look at my story in pictures.

The strands of spaghetti squash.

The roasted vegetables! Yum!

spaghetti squab went into a baking dish and was topped with tomato sauce.

Roasted veggies topped the tomato sauce, and cheese was sprinkled to finish it!

Oops, I did it again! Ugh! I don’t mean to pat myself on the back in such an obvious way. I am having a rare moment of confidence sprinkled with a dash of sassiness! Anywhoooo, you know I love having leftovers around. I made quinoa and roasted veggies the other night. I also have some fabulous leftover grilled tuna medallions from last night. Denis and I are heading out to the JV high school football game tonight, so no time to make dinner. No worries. I quickly packed up a cooler to take to the game.

Here is what I made to take to the game. I sliced up the tuna, grabbed the leftover quinoa and veggies out of the fridge, along with some tortillas. I laid a tortilla out and slathered the quinoa and veggies on it. Next, I piled on some leftover tuna. The great finish was some wasabi sauce. Hey, what can I say? I like a good kick of heat! Then I rolled the tortilla up and sliced it in two.

I wrapped the tortillas in parchment paper. Wrapping them this way makes them easy to eat on the run. Into the cooler they went, along with an apple, an apple cutter, some bottled water, and a few cookies. After that kick of heat a bite of something sweet is perfect, so a few cookies were a must!

Out the door we went to cheer Quinn and his JV football team on! We were able to munch on outrageously healthy food that was ready in a quick minute. Sure beat the bleacher pizza and nachos that others were munching on. Have a peek at my prerolled tortilla! Yum! What can you do with your leftovers?

Roasted veggies and quinoa, sliced grilled tuna, and some wasabi! Rolled up, this made a perfect wrap to transport and eat on the run!